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Here’s a video from the parent company Bolduc Technology Group (military contractor) that make the AEVIT system that will be installed in my truck. I’ll drive with a joystick instead of remotely but you get the idea. EMC-Digi is the one that handles the mobility end of their products.

Plenty of people are curious as to where we go next with getting Chris’s truck. Here is a basic run down of what’s to come.

This week we turned in the OVR agreement of what is to happen in the process and turned paper work into the doctor to be filled out so Chris can be re-evaluated (first hoop of red tape) for what hand controls he needs. We are now waiting for OVR to contact us to set up that evaluation. Once that evaluation is completed we have 3 months to purchase a vehicle as that is the length of time the evaluation is good for before you have go around again. OVR then does a bidding process (second hoop of red tape) that we have to go through to determine which company we will work with for the full conversion.

The next step would be purchasing the truck. We’ll pick out/order the truck Chris wants and then it will be time for conversion. The truck will first be sent to Mobility SVM in Indiana to do the floor/lift to enable Chris’s chair to get in and out of the truck. It will then come back to PA.

Once back in PA the joystick hand controls (most likely an EMC joystick) will be put in. This is mainly the part that requires the bidding process since there are a few companies in PA that do hand control installs. We’re hoping to work with Ride-Away in Norristown. We’ve seen a good bit of their work and have been pleased with it.

After all the work is complete Chris will have to be evaluated on the vehicle again to make sure it is fitted well for him and he can drive it safely (third hoop of red tape). We then sign the contract stating he’s not eligible for another vehicle conversion for 10 years. That is one of the major reasons we chose a truck. The durability of a truck cannot be matched by a minivan and we like to get out there and use our vehicle quite a bit!

When all is said and done the truck will have probably $50,000 worth of equipment added to it! Easily making the vehicle worth around $100,000 even before Chris gets his hands on it!

Yep it will be worth more than our house!

We may still have 4-6 months before the truck is ready for Chris but we can’t wait to share the good news when Chris is driving himself!

Thank you to everyone who made our very first car show a success! We may not have reached our goal but we are less than $1,000.00 away from our goal! We are still proceeding forward with getting Chris’s truck. It will still be a couple months until we are given the go ahead to get the truck by OVR so there is still an opportunity to get there.

Thank you to the food trucks and vendors who gave their support in our first year. You took a gamble on us! We can’t say thank you enough for being there to support us! Thank you to the vendors who came out to share the day with us. Thank you to all the car guys, including some of the Visual Reality Car Club, and three special Johns (John O., John Sheldon, and John Burch) that came out to support! Chris This event was about bringing the community out to help one of its own reach his dream!

The Upshift Summer Bash raised $1,209.00 leaving us just $800.00 shy of our goal. We thought we were proceeding forward without reaching it. That all changed this morning at 9:30am! I was expecting email from Ride-Away who was part of our event. Imagine my (Heather’s) surprise when I looked in my email and there was a donation the completed our goal and exceeded it! I just about hit the floor I was so shocked! Chris was sleeping and I woke him up with my hysterics! At least it was a great reason, right?

Thank you again to everyone who has helped us reach our goal! It was so much a community effort! It now puts us very close to Chris’s Dream of Driving. OVR paperwork is in the works and hopefully as long as all goes to plan we will have his truck in 4-6 months! Sooner is better than later but after a 10 year wait this will be nothing! What a way to celebrate Chris and I being together for 10 years! What an awesome gift and one we will never forget!!!

Bring you cars! Bring your family! And don’t forget to come hungry! We are thrilled to announce our first annual Drive For Independence Upshift Summer Bash. This year’s event will be held at Leg Up Farm, 4880 N Sherman Street Ext, Mt Wolf, PA 17347, on Saturday August 16 from 10am-4pm. It is a car show, food truck and vendor event. There will be plenty of beautiful cars, several food trucks to tempt your taste buds, plenty of vendors to pique your interest, and DJ-T1 to keep the party going. The Upshift Summer Bash is a fundraiser for Chris Sauerbaum and his need for a wheelchair accessible vehicle. He has had his driver’s license for 10 years now without a vehicle to drive. We are working towards a $10,000.00 down payment on a Mobility SVM Chevrolet Silverado. We are currently at $8,000.00 and hope to reach our goal with the Upshift Summer Bash. Ride-Away Wheelchair Vehicles will be bringing a Mobility SVM vehicle to showcase what we are fundraising for.

Did someone mention food trucks?! Of course we did! We will have Bountiful Feast, Scoops Ice Cream and Grille, Smoothie King York, PA, Spectrum Farm to Truck, and Sophie’s Italian Ice to fill your bellies and cool you down. We also have vendors for all your shopping needs! Favorite direct sales companies and home crafters will be on hand to satisfy your shopping fun. The car show can accommodate up to 100 vehicles in the car show field. Cars, trucks and motor cycles are welcome. Pre-register your vehicle by visiting: https://driveforindependence.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/upshift-summer-bash-car-show-registration/. Pre-registration is only $10.00 while the day of the show registration is $15.00. We will have 1st-3rd custom trophies designed by Chris Sauerbaum, himself, for the show field that will be judged by your fellow car show participants. There will also be a People’s Choice voted on by the general public. Chris is definitely showcasing his graphic design abilities with this show. There will also be an event photographer on hand and you will be able to get a photo of your car at the event. Donations from photos will go to YAFCA, a local community organization (www.facebook.com/YAFCA.org). We will also have a silent auctions with items up for bid such as A York Revolution Prize pack that contains 4 ticket vouchers, SnS Croftgate car care items, $100 in free Web design, and massage gift certificates and many more! We will also have activities for the kids including the large barrier-free playground!

Here is the registration for the Upshift Summer Bash Car Show.
It’s open to anything and is a more casual meet type show. Bikes are welcome. Join the Facebook event here: Upshift Summer Bash Facebook Event

To relieve any confusion with pre-registration, you must go through all the steps to checkout. When you get to the shipping and billing information there is a spot on the right hand side that asks for the $5.00 off code. Click on it and enter the code below for the discount.